careerbuilder

According to a new CareerBuilder survey, 40% of Americans say they are living paycheck to paycheck -- and if that sounds rough, it's an improvement from a 2008 peak of 46%. Here's a great infographic on what that means for our personal finances.

Middle class Americans are fairly fervent in their belief that the route to career success has to run through a good college. But the numbers don't lie: Vocational studies might offer many the best chance at a solid career and a lifetime free of debt.

For all the anti-bank anger erupting across the country, relatively few of us are actually parting ways with our significant financial institutions because of it. In the past six weeks a mini bank-run sent 700,000 new customers to credit unions. But that's hardly noticeable on the scale of all U.S. banking customers.

When it comes to finding your next employer, online job boards are out and social recruiting is in, says Robert McGovern, CEO of JobFox.com, a free website that enables job seekers to tap into private hiring networks. We chat with McGovern about the new era of online job hunting.

With many advertisers sitting out the big game to save money, commercial prices are down this year. But a recent study shows that skipping the Super Bowl, even in a recession, may be the wrong play. Turns out, in advertising, the best defense is a funny offense on the first Sunday in February.